Ireland banking on Finn Russell ‘weaving some magic’ against France as Six Nations title hopes fade
Andrew Goodman says Ireland are hoping that Finn Russell will weave his magic in France.
Attack coach Andrew Goodman says Ireland are hoping that Finn Russell will weave his magic in France on Super Saturday.
Ireland’s hopes of completing a Six Nations three-peat all but disappeared in their 42-27 defeat to Les Bleus last time out.
That result means that Ireland trail France by two log points and will not only need to beat Italy on the final day of the tournament but hope other results go their way.
Go Wales, go Scotland
England are also ahead of Ireland by a single point and Goodman says that the Ireland squad and coaches will be shouting for Wales and Scotland after their clash with Italy.
He added that he hopes that Scotland co-captain Finn Russell can inspire his side to an upset victory over the Six Nations table-toppers.
“Go Wales, go Scotland. Anything is possible,” Goodman said.
“We’ve got to focus on our performance and we want to put in a performance we can be proud of but also one our fans can be proud of and off the back of that, we’ll be hoping Finn Russell can weave some magic in France.
“We know how tough Wales are at home and they finished well at the weekend and hopefully, they had some good confidence into that game.”
The attack coach addressed Ireland’s chances of lifting the title for a third successive year after revealing how tough the review of the France defeat was.
“Destiny was also in our hands but now that’s been taken away from us,” he said.
“So it’s been a tough couple of days, but post that process, as with anything, energy levels get built back up and we have to come back bouncing as the most important thing now is a response from the group.”
For Ireland to win the title, they will not only need France to lose to Scotland but hope that England do not get a bonus victory over Wales.
A bonus point win for England would see them finish above Ireland but the defending champions can still finish the higher-ranked team if Steve Borthwick’s side fails to earn a bonus point and Ireland do while maintaining a better points difference.
READ MORE: ‘We can’t be having that’ – Ireland coach hits out at ‘stupid’ Joe McCarthy yellow
